Knee shoe



April 2, 1940.

J. JOHNSON KNEE SHOE Filed June 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENT OR.claw c/nsow, BY M ATTORNEY.

J. JOHNSON April 2, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KNEE SHOE Filed June 10, 1938 1N VENTOR.

m m 0 m n a Z Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNEESHOE- 7 Jacob Johnson, Newark, N. J.

Application Junelll, 1938, Serial No. 212,955

g a a 3 Claims. This invention relates, generally, to improvements incushioning kneeling supports; and the invention has reference, moreparticularly, to

novel knee shoes or pads adapted to cushion and support the knees of theuser when occupying a kneeling position, but in such manner as to permitfree mobility of the legs for moving and shifting about withoutnecessity of rising from such kneeling'position.

This invention has for an object to provide a novel construction ofkneeshoe or pad, to be furnished in pairs so as to provide ashoe'or padfor each knee of the user; said shoes or pads being so constructed andshaped as not only to provide soft cushioning supports for the knees ofthe user, when the latter Works in a kneeling position, but also beingadapted for easy sliding propulsion over the surface knelt upon underthe users leg movements but without necessity for employment of anyfixed attachment to the users legs, thus permitting the user, whileremaining in kneeling position, to quickly and easily shift about overthe surfaces knelt upon, as occasion may require.

The invention, thus generally characterized, provides novelindependently mobile knee cush ioning supports for [each knee adapted toserve the user when Working upon floor and like surfaces in a kneelingposition; the novel knee shoes or pads areof especial advantage tofloorscrapers, painters, scrub-women and all others performing WOlkwhich requires them to operate in a kneeling position, and to shiftabout over the surface kneltupon.

ther objects of this invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be understood from. the following detailed descriptionof the same.

Illustrative embodiments .of the invention are shown in theaccompanyingdrawings, in:which Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a worker utilizing thenovel knee shoes or pads made according to this invention; Fig. 2 is aplan View of one'of the novel knee shoes or pads; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the same; Fig.4 is a rear end elevation of the samei" Fig.5 is a'longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line 55 in Fig.2; and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on lineS t in Fig. 2. Y a 1 Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view of amodified form of knee shoe or pad structure: according to thisinvention.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above describedviews, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, eachknee shoe or pad comprises a frame memberlb of substantially rigid material, preferably made of metal in the formof an upstanding Wall of suitable height. This frame member at its frontor toe 6 portion is of semicircular fornnthe rearwardly extending sides1 l of which are convergingly dispo sed to join the preferably straighttransverse rear end portion l2.. The upper marginal part v of said endportion i2 is cutaway to provide a 10 curvilinearly shaped indentationl3 intermediate the extremities thereof. Integral with the bottommarginal portions of said framemember ill, and disposed in suitablyspaced apart relation therearound to project interiorly thereof in the 1plane of its bottom edges, area series of apertured ears or lugs It.Securedtothe underside of said frame member ii) is a sole plate i5, thesame being securely fastened in assembled relation to the frame memberby fastening devices 20 extending downwardly through the apertured' earsor lugs i l into the body of said sole plate. Said fastening devices, asshown, comprise nails it, but it will be obvious that any other suitabletype of fastening device may be optionally em-. 25 ployed. The soleplate l5 may be made of any suitable material, but is preferably made ofstilf' leather or similar material.

The assembled frame member and sole plate provide an upwardly opensocketed or chambered base, in the socket or chamber of which isdisposed the knee cushioning means of the structure. In a preferred formthereof, said knee cushioning means comprises an upstandingsubstantially U-shaped rearwardly open marginal 35 cushion member H,which extends around the toe and side portions of the frame member Mlcontiguous to the inner face of the walls of the latter, with therespective extremities l8 thereof terminating at the transverse rear endportion E2 of the frame member, so as to provide a rearwardly open gaptherein. Said marginal cushion member i! is formed to provide an upperportion of rounded shape in cross section, and disposed to project wellabove the plane of the top edges 45 of said frame member ID. Saidmarginal cushion member l i may be made of any suitable materialcalculated to provide comparatively soft and resilient characteristics.For example, said marginal cushion member i! may comprise a 56 felt bodyof suitable thickness and doubled transversely to form the desired topportion of rounded cross-sectional shape. The. bottom portions of thefelt body thus-formed areinserted Within the frame member H1 so as toabut the inner sides I! thereof and so as to rest upon the bottom of thesocketed base formed by said assembled frame member l and sole plate I5.When thus assembled, said felt body is suitably secured againstdisplacement, as, e. g., by gluing the same to the surfaces of the framemember and sole plate which it abuts.

Said knee cushioning means further comprises a bottom cushion member l9,which is of a peripheral shape to conform to the interior space withinand defined by said marginal cushion member l'l. Said bottom cushionmember is of suitable thickness, and is disposed so that its mainforward portion lies fiat within the socketed base and upon the soleplate l5. The rearward narrowed end portion of said bottom cushionmember is of a length in excess of the length of the chamber provided bythe socketed base, so that its rear extremity 20 may be down-folded intoan angular relation to the main forward portion and thereupon pushedinto said chamber to lie in abutting contiguous relation to the interiorface of the rear end wall I2 of the framemember 10. By such dispositionand arrangement of the rearward end portion of said bottom cushionmember, the same is provided with a transverse upstanding roundedcross-rib 2i which projects above the indented top margin of the rearend wall [2 of said frame member ii) and above the top surface plane ofthe fiat lying main forward portion of said bottom cushion member. Saidbottom cushion member may be made of any suitable material calculated toprovide comparatively soft and resilient characteristics. Preferably thebottom cushion member is made of sponge rubber of suitable thickness.Said bottom cushion member is suitably secured against displacement fromoperative assembled relation, as e. g. by gluing the same in place.

It will be observed that the bottom cushion member, when in place,occupies a plane below the plane of the upwardly projected rounded topof the marginal cushioning member l1, thus providing a pocket or socketwithin which the knee of the user may be received.

The novel knee shoes or pads, characterized as above described, are usedin pairs, one for each knee. In the use thereof, the user merely kneelsupon the same, and in so doing the knees respectively enter the pocketor socket of the cushion structure of the respective shoes or pads, insuch manner that the kneepan or patella will rest upon the main forwardportion of the bottom cushion member 19, while the adjoining end of thefemur and the tuberosity of the tibia will be embraced and cushioned bythe upstanding marginal cushion member l'! and the cross-rib portion 2|of the bottom cushion member. The tapering portion of the tibia, belowthe tuberosity thereof, will extend outwardly over the cross-rib portion2|. It will thus be seen that the knee, as bent in kneeling position, isnot only resting upon the bottom cushion member, but is also snuglyembraced all around the front, sides and rear portions thereof, andconsequently is not only supported and cushioned in an exceedinglycomfortable manner, but also so that transmission of movement to theshoes or pads in any direction, merely by movement of the users legs, iseasily accomplished. The user, therefore, may slide the shoes or padsalong the surface knelt upon so as to shift position as required withoutnecessity of rising from kneeling position. Forward and sidewisemovements are easily transmitted to the shoes or pads by correspondingleg movements by reason of the abutment of the forward and side portionsof the bent knee against the upstanding marginal cushion member l'l,while rearward movement is transmitted by pressure of the rearwardportions of the bent knee against the cross-rib portion 2! of the bottomcushion member. Owing to the structure and mode of operation described,no devices are required for aflixedly attaching the shoes or pads to theusers knees. By reason of the fact that each knee is individuallyequipped with a shoe or pad, free and independent mobility of the userslegs is possible, and consequently shifting of the users position, asrequired, is easily attained by mere swinging or walk-like movements ofthe less.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modified form of the novel knee shoe or pad,comprising the same structure and assembly of frame-member l0 and soleplate IE, but utilizing a modified form of cushion structure. Suchmodified cushion structure comprises a one-piece pad body preferablyformed of sponge rubber, to provide a bottom cushion section 22,surrounded at its front and sides by an upstanding marginal cushionsection 23, and provided at its rear end, between the rearward ends ofsaid marginal cushion section 23, with a transversely extending raisedportion or cross-rib section 24 of less height than said marginalcushion section 23. It will be obvious that in use, such modified formof knee shoe or pad will function in the same manner and with the sameadvantages as already set forth with respect to the first describedconstruction of knee shoe or pad. The knee shoe structure, especially inthe above described modified form may be simplified by omitting theframe-member ID, in which case the cushion body may be cemented to thesole plate I5.

It will be understood that many changes could be made in the abovedescribed constructions, and many apparently widely differentembodiments of this invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof as defined by the following claims. It is thereforeintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of kneeshoes, each shoe comprising a fiat rigid sole plate and a rigidupstanding peripheral frame member afiixed to said sole plate, anupstanding marginal cushioning element extending around and abutting theinterior faces of the sides and front but terminating at the back wallof said frame member, said marginal cushioning element being of a heightsubstantially exceeding the height of said frame member, said marginalcushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material foldedlengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conformingrolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of saidframe member, and a bottom cushion member supported by said sole platewithin the confines of said marginal cushioning element.

2. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of kneeshoes, each shoe comprising a flat rigid sole plate and a rigidupstanding peripheral frame member affixed to said sole plate, anupstanding marginal cushioning element extending around and abutting theinterior faces of the sides and front but terminating at the back wallof said frame member, said marginal cushioning element being of a heightsubstantially exceeding the height of said frame member, said marginalcushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material foldedlengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conformingrolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of saidframe member,

.a bottom cushion member supported by said sole plate within theconfines of said marginal cushioning element, said bottom cushioningmember having its rear end portion doubled back and downwardly anddisposedperpendicular thereto to lie contiguous to the rear wall portionof said frame member thereby to provide a raised resilient rearwardcross rib extending between the rear ends of said marginal cushioningelement but of a height less than the height of the latter.

3. Strapless cushioning knee supports constituted by a pair of kneeshoes, each shoe comprising a fiat rigid sole plate and a rigidupstanding U-shaped peripheral frame member including a transverse rearwall between the sides thereof, means for fastening said frame memberfixedly to said sole plate, an upstanding marginal cushioning elementextending around and abutting the interior faces of the sides and frontbut terminating at the back wall of said frame member, said marginalcushioning element comprising a strip of soft resilient material foldedlengthwise upon itself to provide a readily yieldable knee conformingrolled top edge portion freely projecting above the upper margin of saidframe member, a bottom cushion member supported by said sole plateWithin the confines of said marginal cushioning element, said bottomcushioning member having its rear end portion doubled back anddownwardly I JACOB JOHNSON.

